Episode Details

Could a killer outbound sales strategy take your agency to a whole other level in how you perform and the clients you attract?

In today's episode, we'll cover:

• Why an outbound sales strategy is important.
• One killer outbound sales strategy for new agency business
• 4 steps to a successful 100 Call Challenge.

Today's guest, Gene Hammett, knows a thing or two about outbound sales. He used to be my agency's VP of Sales and scored us meetings with huge brands like Home Depot and Porsche just to name a few. He's now using his knowledge and experience as a writer, speaker and Strategic Coach for competitive service-based businesses. Gene also hosts Leaders In the Trenches, a podcast for entrepreneurs.

Gene recently turned one of his coaching strategies on himself and created a 10-Day, 100 Call Challenge. He's seeing some fantastic results and shared all the details with us.

Why is a Outbound Sales Strategy Beneficial?

Having an outbound sales strategy has been lost and forgotten. So many business focus solely on lead generation and ways to amplify inbound sales. As business owners, we can't always expect leads to come to us. Sometimes we have to approach them first and ask for their business. Outbound sales doesn't have to mean cold calls, though. It means defining a criteria for who you want to work with and then seeking them out to showcase your offering.

Gene's self-imposed 100 Call Challenge is a way to re-introduce outbound sales strategy efforts back into your agency.

What is the 100 Call Challenge?

Most people think it's 100 cold calls and dread the thought of it. But really, it's a commitment to having 100 conversations.

Gene breaks his goal setting down into annual, quarterly, monthly and then two week increments. For the first two weeks of February 2016 he decided he needed a jolt in his business - something drastic to stir things up. That's when he implemented the 100 Call Challenge. The results?

• 3 new speaking gigs that weren't already on his radar
• 2 new clients
• A booked calendar for an additional 2 weeks
• A flurry of new activity creating a snowball effect on his business

4 Steps for setting up a successful 100 Call Challenge: 1- Decide what you have to offer.

You can't just start making sales calls to set up appointments. Major turn off.

Time is valuable. So if you're going to ask people for their time, you better have something super valuable to offer in return.

Think of reasons why prospects might want to spend time with you. What can you offer in exchange for an hour of their time?

• For new prospects: Develop a great solution to a common problem or something to ease one of their pain points. Then invite them to a cocktail hour, lunch & learn or other live event where you give them this information for FREE. Make a deposit before making a withdrawal. This strategy is HUGE - it establishes authority and creates goodwill. Host a live event and then make calls to get the right people in the room. That's how you stack the deck in your favor.
• For old leads: Follow-up is definitely a lost skill. Think about all the "no" or "not right now" responses you've gotten in the past year or so. Shoot an email letting them know you've been thinking of their X problem (something specific they experiencing the last time you spoke) and that you have some ideas. State that you'll be calling later that day to talk. Then make your call and provide the information - no str